5.3 : Kat Williams

Kat Williams:
Outlining American Liberation Mythologies: Democracy and Domination in U.S. Visual Culture
May 3, 2011
12pm, Kaufman room 160

In this presentation I will overview my dissertation project which addresses the cultural commitment of the United States to violent and economic interventions around the world, the current state of democracy in the U.S., and the role of consumerism in each. Harbored in the interdisciplinarity of performance studies, this project investigates the dialectical relationship between entertainment and political action as a force that can be labeled myth. By utilizing anthropological theories of myth I analyze popular media (American Idol, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Tears of the Sun, Gran Torino) in order to interrogate the hegemonic ideologies of American culture.  While my method is a myth analysis of media  my aim, by relying on generative theories of culture, is to assert our collective ability to shift U.S. cultural patterns away from the practice of violent interventions and toward a democracy of dialogue and a consumerism of consciousness.


Kat Williams is a PhD candidate in the Department of World Arts & Cultures. Her research interests include myth/cultural studies, U.S. history, non-violent resistance, Buberian philosophy, arts practice and sustainability. Originally from the conservative suburbs of eastern Kansas she began her undergraduate education as a Fine Arts student at the University of Kansas where she stumbled upon a course in African Art History. Drawn to the intense aesthetics of African arts and thier broad significances within cultures she declared a dual degree. Thus began her education in cultural studies and globalization. She relocated to Los Angeles in 2003 to begin a Master?s degree from UCLA?s African Studies program where she investigated the use of popular media in pursuing cultural change. In 2006 she began her PhD studies in WAC, turning her attention to U.S. culture?s notion of liberation as a motivation for violent intervention in foreign affairs. This summer she will be moving with her family to the forests of Northern California where they have accepted a position as caretakers at a ranch/summer camp. There she intends to focus on the craft of writing and complete her dissertation while further researching sustainability and arts practice as a process of dialogue.